What is the value or URL for `PKG_PATH` used to inform NetBSD 6.0.1 where to download binary packages from? There seems to be a change in both servers as well as the path or directory layout for the packages directory. I have tried and failed to figure it out. I am using NetBSD on an `i386` architecture.

It still seems to be there. Were you using something different before? If there's a better location for 6.0.1 I'd like to know of it too.

When I tried to use that and started installing Emacs it did find the binaries (it actually looked like it was downloading source code) but kept objecting and printing messages about the 6.0 and 6.0.1 discrepancy but it did proceed with the intstall (I killed it with CTRL-C since I was not sure what to do). It seems to be treating 6.0 and 6.0.1 as different.

When I tried to use that and started installing Emacs it did find the binaries (it actually looked like it was downloading source code) but kept objecting and printing messages about the 6.0 and 6.0.1 discrepancy but it did proceed with the intstall ...

I think it's just warning that the packages were compiled for 6.0, while the running system is 6.0.1. In principle/general that could be important, but it is also a typical message in these situations and things usually work fine. My assumption is that if there really were a problem due to the OS version mis-match that they would produce separate binaries for the newer version.

Quote:

.. (I killed it with CTRL-C since I was not sure what to do).

It might have been better, as a test, to install some small package with no dependencies, rather than emacs. You might want to look under /var/db/pkg/ and see if there is anything there that you don't want due to the emacs install attempt.

What is the value or URL for `PKG_PATH` used to inform NetBSD 6.0.1 where to download binary packages from?

Check your root's .shrc or .profile, it should contain PKG_PATH examples, with correct paths. It might be commented out though.

Concerning the error, it is usually harmless, it's just sayin' that the packages were built on a bit older system than the one you got.

__________________
The best way to learn UNIX is to play with it, and the harder you play, the more you learn.
If you play hard enough, you'll break something for sure, and having to fix a badly broken system is arguably the fastest way of all to learn. -Michael Lucas, AbsoluteBSD

What got me on the right path was what was in the original .profile. I was believing it was wrong because of what was written in the guide. Silly me. That is what you get when you RTFM I wasted hours on this foolishness.

I upgraded NetBSD 6.0 to 6.0.1 , changed PKG_PATH to 6.0_2012Q4 but when I did pkg_add -uu the package upgrade didn't take place (missing package names)
What's the right way to upgrade all installed packages ?

I upgraded NetBSD 6.0 to 6.0.1 , changed PKG_PATH to 6.0_2012Q4 but when I did pkg_add -uu the package upgrade didn't take place (missing package names)
What's the right way to upgrade all installed packages ?

You need to put the package names on the command line, to tell it which ones you want to install/upgrade. For example

# pkg_add -uv firefox lynx

Minor point: did you really mean to type -uu instead of -uv ? I don't see anything in the man page pkg_add(1) about doubling the -u (on a quick check).

If you want to upgrade all packages, you could list the ones you have installed on the command line, after removing the version number so it will look for the latest. For example